Counter attachment for typewriters, etc.



S.. A. COUSE COUNTER ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS, ETC

May 13 1924. 1,493,737 Y Filed Nov. 17 f1922 Patented May 13, 1924.

STEPHEN A. COUSE, OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK.

COUNTER ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS, ETC.

Application led November 17, 1922.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, STEPHEN A. CoUsE, a citizen of the. United States, residing at Endicott, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counter Attachments for Typewriters, Etc.; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which forni part of this specification.

This invention is a novel word-counter attachment for bookkeeping' machines, typewriters, and the like. The object of the invention is to provide novel means for op'- eratively connecting a counter (such as a Veeder cyclometer) to a machine, such as an Elliott-Fisher machine, or a typewriter, whereby the counter will be. actuated one unit for each effective operation of the machine.

The invention includes a counter and a reciprocable rod having one end connected to a suitable movable part of the machine, and the other end thereof mounted in a suitable guide, and a spring finger on said rod adapted to engage a ratchet wheel mounted on the counter shaft, so that at each movement of said part of the machine, resulting from the proper depression of a key of the machine, said spring finger will be caused to engage and turn the ratchet wheel one tooth, and after the ratchet wheel has been turned a dis tance of one tooth, the spring finger will disengage the ratchet and ride on the teeth thereof, thereby preventing the ratchet wheel being turned more than onetooth for each proper movement of said part of the machine.

I will explain the invention with reference. to the accompanying drawings to enable others to adopt and use the same. and sum`r marize in the claims the novel features of construction, and novel combinations of parts, for which protection is desired.

In the drawings:

F ig. l is a side view of the attachment as applied to an Elliott-Fisher"7 machine.

Fig. 9. is an enlarged sectional view on the line 2-2 Fig. '1, looking down.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3 3 Fig. 1 looking up.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the counter support and ratchet Wheel housing detached Fig. 5 is a detail view of a-inodilied form of actuating rod. f

Serial No. 601,614.

The novel counter attachment comprises a counter V (preferably a Veeder cyclometer, as shown in Patent #5ft-8,48%) a ratchet wheel l attached to the counter actuating shaft; a reciprocable rod 3 operated by a suitable part of the machine to which the attachment is connected; a ratchet wheel engaging spring linger mounted on said rod; and a counter support and ratchet Wheel housing 2 enclosing the ratchet wheel 1 and foiming a guide for one end of the rod 3.

The counter V is preferably attached. as shown in Figs. land 2, to a supporting plate 2b, which is preferably provided with a curved lip 2e, as shdwn in Figs. 2 and 4, adapted to fit against one of the standards S, or other part, of the .machine to which the attachment is secured; and may be fastened thereto by a bolt 4; as indicated in Figs. l and 2. The support 2b may be of any desired shape. which will enable it to support the counter and be readily fastened to the machine with which the counter is to be used.

As shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the shaft Y of the counter is provided on one end., exterior to its casing, with a ratchet wheel l fxedly attached thereto in any desired inan ner, and preferably having ten teeth 1, the hub 1b of the ratchet. wheel spacing it fron. the adjacent end of the counter casing.

Enclosing the ratchet wheel l is a cylindrical housing 2, preferably closed at its outer end by a head Q", said housing' being preferably of the same exterior diameter as the counter casing, and heilig preferably rigidly attached to the plate 2b as shown in Fig. 4.

Pivotally mounted on the inner face of plate 2 within the housing 2, adjacent the. top thereof is a pawl 2f adapted to engage the teeth la of ratchet wheel l, and prevent backward movement of said ratchet wheel. A suitable spring 2g holds pawl 2f yieldingly in engagement with. the teeth of the ratchet wheel. In the sides of the housing 2 are opposite openings 2c, 2d, for the passage of an actuating rod 3, said openings being in line at one side of the periphery of the ratchet wheel 1.

The actuating rod 3 may be of any suitable construction, and .is preferably made of stout Wire. It extends through the openings 2, 2d, in the housing and its outer end is supporte-d and guided in the opening 2d.

The inner end of the rod is adaptedv to be attached to a movable part of the' machine to which the counter is applied; which movable part should be a part that is operatedk once for each operation of the machine that it is desired to count. v

As illustrated in Fig. I the inner end of the rod 3 is engaged with the ribbon vibrator arm R of an Elliott-Fisher machine, and the rod 3 will be reciprocated eac'h time the bar R is operated.

Attached to the rod 3 is a spring member 3b, the free end of which projects through the opening 2c into the housing 2, and is adapted to engage the teeth la of the ratchet wheel when the rod 3 is moved outward. The finger 3b is preferably formed of a narrow strip of spring metal, bent so that the free end thereof will normally tend to project away from the adjacent part of bar 3. The other end of the spring finger is attached to the rod 3. Preferablythe rod 3 has a flattened portion 3* near the middle thereof, adapted to form a seat for the end of the spring finger 3b, which aay be securely fastened to bar 3, parallel therewith by a screw 3c. The finger 3" may be adjusted on the rod by providing the finger with a slot 3d for the passage of screw 3c (Figs. l and 2), and finger 3* should be so adjusted that its free end will be in position to engage the teeth la of the ratchet wheel l, when the rod is retracted, as shown in Fig. 2.

The spring 8b may be attached to rod 3 in any suitable manner. As shown in Fig. 5 spring 3" is attached to a collar 3e which collar is adjustable on the rod 3 by a set screw 3g.

Rod 3 may be connected to part R in any suitable manner. As shown in Figs. 1-3 the inner part of rod 3 is bent inwardly as at 3f, then bent sharply at right angles to the length of the rod as at 8S, and then outwardly as a ."f. parallel with the length of the rod 3, and part 3S of rod 3 can be engaged with a hole R in the arm R, and when the rod is in operative position (Fig. 1-3) the part St will prevent disengagement of rod 3 from the arm R.

As shownin Fig. 5 the rod 3 may be fas tened to arm R by means of a screw 3X passing through a loop 3h on' the end of the rod 3. Y

The spring finger 3h will turn the ratchet wheel when rod 3 is moved to the right, but will not turn the ratchet wheel more than one tooth for each vibration of theribbon arm of the machine, for when the spring 3b has once forced the ratchet l to turn one tenth o-f a revolution (there being ten teeth' on the ratchet) the further outward move` ment of the spring finger 3b disenga-ges it from the ratchet wheel and the spring then bears against the teeth of the ratchet (see Fig. 3) and will prevent turning of the The attachment may be placed in almost any desired position on a typewriter or Elliott-Fisher machine, and operatively connected therewith. The spring finger, as described, makes it impossible for the ratchet Wheel to be moved more than one tooth for each stroke of the rod 3, by reason of the fact that once the ratchet has been turned al distance of one tooth the spring finger slides on the outer edges of the teeth and cannot be ready for another stroke until the rod 3 has been withdrawn to its outermost position.

Sli

Then applied to an Elliott-Fisher machine, or typewriter, each time the ribbon vibrator arm R is vibrated the ratchet wheel l will be rotated one tooth and when ten such vibrations have been made (there being l() teeth on the ratchet wheel) the counter will register one unit. If the opera-tor is computing the cost of copying as at so much per unit registered by the counter, the number of units so typed will be shown by the counter when the work is completed, by sub` tracting the number shown on the countei before the work is started, from the number appearing thereon when the work is completed.

The attachment may obviously be applied to various machines having an arm or part that is reciprocated once for each operation of the machine to be registered.

)Vhat I claim is:

l. For a machine having a movable part operated once for each operation of the machine that is to be counted, and having a counter havingv means for attaching the counter to the machine, and having a ratchet wheel on thecounter shaft; a reciprocable spring member connected to the said movable part of the machine and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel and turn same one tooth when the member is moved in one direction and on further movement in the same direction to disengage the ratchet wheel and prevent. further turning thereof until the springmember is returned to retracted posi-tion, substantially as described.

2. For a machine having a movable part operated once for each operation of the machine that is to be counted, and having a counter, having means for attaehingthe counter to the machine, and having a ratchet wheel on the counter shaft; a reciprocable rod extending beside the ratchet wheel and lli) liu

connected to the said movable part oil the machine; and a. spring member on said rod adapted to engage said ratchet wheel and turn same one tooth when the rod is moved in one direction, and means to prevent reverse turning ot' the ratchet wheel until the spring member has been returned to retracted position, substantially as described.

3. In mechanism as set forth in claim 2, said spring finger being adjustably attached to and extending longitudinally of the rod and having its tree end normally projecting away `from the adjacent part of said rod, and adapted to disengage from said tooth after having turned the ratchet wheel a distance equal to one tooth and to slide along the peripheries of the ratchet teeth to prevent turning of said ratchet wheel until the spring finger has been returned to retracted position.

4l. For a machinehaving a movable part operated once for each operation ot the machine that is to be counted; and having a counter', having means tor attaching the counter to the machine, and having a ratchet wheel on the counter shaft; a reciprocable rod extending beside the ratchet wheel and connected to the said movable part of the machine; and a spring member on said rod adapted to engage said ratchet wheel and turn same one tooth when the rod is moved in one direction, and on 'further movement in the same direction to disengage the ratchet wheel and prevent further turning thereof until the spring member has been returned to retracted position, substantially as described.

For a machine of the character specified; havingr a movable part operated once for each operation of the machine that is to be counted, the combination with a counter, and having means for attaching the counter to the machine, and having a ratchet wheel on the counter shaft; a housing tor said ratchet; a reciprocable rod directly attached at one end to the movable part with the other end passing through said housing and supported thereby beside the ratchet wheel, means connecting` the rod to the said movable part; a spring lfinger on said rod adapted to engage said ratchet wheel and turn same one tooth when the rod in moved in one direction and on further movement to disengage the ratchet wheel and prevent turning thereof until the finger has been re turned to normal retracted position; and a pawl adapted to engage said ratchet wheel to prevent backward movement thereof.

6. For a machine having a movable part operated once for each operation of the machine that is to be counted, and having a counter mounted thereon having a ratchet wheel on the counter shaft; a reciproca-ble rod extending beside the ratchet wheel and connected to the said movable part ot the machine; a spring member on said rod adapted to rotate said ratchet wheel a distance of one tooth when the rod is moved in one direction, said spring member being adjustably attached to and extending longitudinally ot the rod and having its 'free end normally projecting away from the adjacent part of said rod` and adapted to disengage trom said ratchet tooth after having rotated the ratchet wheel one tooth and to slide along the outer edges of adjacent teeth to prevent rotation ot' the ratchet wheel in either direction until the spring member has been retracted.

7. For a machine having a movable part operated once for each operation of the machine that is to be counted, and having a counter mounted thereon having a ratchet wheel on the counter shaft; a housing tor said ratchet; a reciprocable rod having one end attached to the movable part of the machine and the other end supported by said housing and extending beside the ratchet wheel; a spring member on said rod adapted to rotate said ratchet in one direction; saidhousing'comprising a casing having one closed end; means for mounting the casing on the machine to enclose the ratchet wheel; said casing being provided with opposite openings disposed substantially tangent to the ratchet wheel; one opening being adapted to receive and support the outer end of the reciprocable rod, and the otherl opening being adapted tor the passage therethrough of the rod with the spring member mounted thereon.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing` as my own, I affix my signature.

STEPHEN A. COUSE.

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